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Imperial Senate of Lenovo
The Officially, the full name of the senate is the Imperial Senate of Lenovo and its dominions of Pandora, Genovia, the Daxam, Almora, Ilvar and the Elmar in Emperors name assembled. The Imperial Senate consists of two chambers the House of Peers and the House of Deputies which have ultimate legislative authority throughout the empire.The house of Peers membership is based on the hereditary right of the nobility and the appointment of its members by the Emperor. The house of peers votes and debate all bills, but only bills concerning the nobility and imperial succession originate in the house of peers. The composition of the House of peers consists of the 100 members ,64 established hereditary noble families, 12 representatives of the Church of Lenovo appointed by the Archbishop of Kandor, the 12 great houses and the 12 archdukes of the Imperial family.The House of Deputies consists of 300 elected members from their respective regions effectively making this house the most important in the Senate. Bills may be introduced in either house, though bills of importance generally originate in the House of Deputies. The equality of the Deputies in legislative matters is assured by the Senatory Acts of 1909, under which all types of bills must be presented to the Sovereign for Imperial Assent with the consent of both chambers. The Peers may delay all public bills indefinitely if they feel the need to. These provisions apply to all bills that originate in the House of Deputies. Moreover, a bill that seeks to extend a parliamentary term beyond five years requires the consent of the House of Lords.By a custom that prevailed even before the Senatory Acts, only the House of Deputies may originate bills concerning taxation or Supply. Furthermore, supply bills passed by the House of Deputies are not immune to amendments in the House of Peers. In addition, the House of Peers is not barred from amending a bill to insert a taxation or supply-related provision. Under a separate convention, known as the Roberts Convention, the House of Peers has every right to oppose legislation promised in the Government's election manifesto. Hence, as stated both chambers are equal in almost every sense no chamber can move a bill forward without the consent of the other chamber. Composition and powers The legislative authority of the Senate, has three separate elements: the Monarch, the House of Peers, and the House of Deputies. No individual may be a member of both Houses, and members of the House of Peers are legally barred from voting in elections for members of the House of Deputies. Formerly, no-one could be a member of the Senate while holding an office of profit under the Crown, thus maintaining the separation of powers. Holders of officers are ineligible to serve as a Member of the Senate under the Senatory Disqualification Act 1175.Imperial Assent of the Monarch and executive assent of the Chancellor is required for all Bills to become law, and certain delegated legislation must be made by the Monarch by Order in Council. The Crown also has executive powers which do not depend on Parliament, through prerogative powers, including the power to pardon, dissolve the senate, awards honors, and appoint officers and civil servants. In practice these are always exercised by the monarch on the advice of the Chancellor and the Imperial Advisory Council. The Chancellor and government are directly accountable to the Senate and the public, through its control of public finances, and to the public, through the popular election of the chancellor. The Lords Spiritual formerly includes all of the senior clergymen of the Church of Lenovo—archbishops, bishops, abbots and mitered priors. State Opening of the Senate The State Opening of the Senate is an annual event that marks the commencement of a session of the Senate of the Lenovan Empire.Upon the signal of the Monarch, the Lord Steward of the Household raises his wand of office to signal to Black Rod, who is charged with summoning the House of Deputies and has been waiting in the Commons lobby. Black Rod turns and, under the escort of the Door-keeper of the House of Peers and an inspector of police, approaches the doors to the Chamber of the Deputies. On Black Rod's approach, the doors are slammed shut against him, symbolizing the rights of parliament and its independence from the monarch.17 He then strikes with the end of his ceremonial staff (the Black Rod) three times on the closed doors of the Deputies Chamber. He is then admitted, and announces the command of the monarch for the attendance of the Senate.The monarch reads a speech, known as the Speech from the Throne, which is prepared by the Chancellor and the Cabinet, outlining the Government's agenda for the coming year. The speech reflects the legislative agenda for which the Government intends to seek the agreement of both Houses of the Senate. After the monarch leaves, each Chamber proceeds to the consideration of an "Address in Reply to His Majesty's Gracious Speech". But, first, each House considers a bill pro forma to symbolize their right to deliberate independently of the monarch. In the House of Peers, the bill is called the Select Vestries Bill, while the Deputies equivalent is the Outlawries Bill. The Bills are considered for the sake of form only, and do not make any actual progress. Legislative Procedure Both houses of the Lenovan Senate are presided over by a speaker, the Speaker of the House of Deputies and the Lord Speaker in the House of Peers. Both Houses may decide questions by voice vote; members shout out "Aye!" and "No!" in the Deputies—or "Content!" and "Not-Content!" in the Peers—and the presiding officer declares the result. The pronouncement of either Speaker may be challenged, and a recorded vote (known as a division) demanded. (The Speaker of the House of Deputies may choose to overrule a frivolous request for a division, but the Lord Speaker does not have that power.) In each House, a division requires members to file into one of the two lobbies alongside the Chamber; their names are recorded by clerks, and their votes are counted as they exit the lobbies to re-enter the Chamber. The Speaker of the House of Deputies is expected to be non-partisan, and does not cast a vote except in the case of a tie; the Lord Speaker, however, votes along with the other Lords. Both Houses normally conduct their business in public, and there are galleries where visitors may sit. Duration As of 3049, the Senate has a fixed term of 5 years. Following a general election, a new Senatory session begins. The Senate is formally summoned 40 days in advance by the Sovereign, who is the source of all authority. On the day indicated by the Sovereign's proclamation, the two Houses assemble in their respective chambers. The Deputies are then summoned to the House of Peers, where the President pro tempore (representative of the Sovereign) instruct them to elect a Speaker. The Deputies perform the election; on the next day, they return to the House of Peers, where the President pro tempore confirm the election and grant the new Speaker the imperial approval in the Sovereign's name. The business of the Senate for the next few days of its session involves the taking of the oaths of allegiance. Once a majority of the members have taken the oath in each House, the State Opening of the Senate may take place. The Peers take their seats in the House of Peers Chamber, the Deputies appear at the Bar (at the entrance to the Chamber), and the Sovereign takes his or her seat on the throne. The Sovereign then reads the Speech from the Throne—the content of which is determined by the Ministers of the Crown—outlining the Government's legislative agenda for the upcoming year. Thereafter, each House proceeds to the transaction of legislative business. By custom, before considering the Government's legislative agenda, a bill is introduced pro forma in each House—the Select Vestries Bill in the House of Peers and the Outlawries Bill in the House of Deputies. These bills do not become laws; they are ceremonial indications of the power of each House to debate independently of the Crown. After the pro forma bill is introduced, each House debates the content of the Speech from the Throne for several days. Once each House formally sends its reply to the Speech, legislative business may commence, appointing committees, electing officers, passing resolutions and considering legislation. A session of the Senate is brought to an end by a prorogation. There is a ceremony similar to the State Opening, but much less well known to the general public. Normally, the Sovereign does not personally attend the prorogation ceremony in the House of Peers; he or she is represented by President pro tempore. The next session of the Senate begins under the procedures described above, but it is not necessary to conduct another election of a Speaker or take the oaths of allegiance afresh at the beginning of such subsequent sessions. Instead, the State Opening of the Senate proceeds directly. To avoid the delay of opening a new session in the event of an emergency during the long summer recess, the Senate is no longer prorogued beforehand, but only after the Houses have reconvened in the autumn; the State Opening follows a few days later. After each Senate session concludes, the Crown issues writs to hold a general election and elect new members of the House of Deputies, though membership of the House of Peers does not change. Senatory sovereignty and privileges The Senate power has often been eroded by its own Acts. Acts passed in 2021 and 2025 granted the Church of Pandora complete independence in ecclesiastical matters. The Senate has also created national devolved parliaments and assemblies with differing degrees of legislative authority in Pandora, Ilvar, Genovia,Daxam and the Elmar. Parliament still has the power over areas for which responsibility lies with the devolved institutions, but would gain the agreement of those institutions to act on their behalf. Similarly, it has granted the power to make regulations to Ministers of the Crown, and the power to enact religious legislation to the General Synod of the Church of Lenovo. (Measures of the General Synod and, in some cases proposed statutory instruments made by ministers, must be approved by both Houses before they become law.) In every case aforementioned, authority has been conceded by Act of Senate and may be taken back in the same manner. It is entirely within the authority of the Senate, for example, to abolish the devolved governments in Pandora, Ilvar, Genovia,Daxam and the Elmar. One well-recognized exception to the Senate's power involves binding future Senates. No Act of the Senate may be made secure from amendment or repeal by a future Senates. For example, although the Act of Pandora 1200 states that the Empire of Lenovo and the Kingdom of Alaria are to be united "forever", the Senate permitted Alaria to leave the Empire in 1967 Privileges Each House of the Senate possesses and guards various ancient privileges. The House of Peers relies on inherent right. In the case of the House of Deputies, the Speaker goes to the Lords' Chamber at the beginning of each new Senate and requests representatives of the Sovereign to confirm the Lower House's "undoubted" privileges and rights. The ceremony observed by the House of Deputies dates to the reign of Emperor Jeylon Each House is the guardian of its privileges, and may punish breaches thereof. The extent of parliamentary privilege is based on law and custom. Sir William Blackledge states that these privileges are "very large and indefinite", and cannot be defined except by the Houses of the Senate themselves. The foremost privilege claimed by both Houses is that of freedom of speech in debate; nothing said in either House may be questioned in any court or other institution outside the Senate. Another privilege maintained is that of freedom from arrest; at all time this is held to apply for any arrest except for high treason, felony or breach of the peace.; it applies during a session of the Senate, and 40 days before or after such a session.20 Members of both Houses are privileged from service on juries.21 Both Houses possess the power to punish breaches of their privilege. Contempt of the Senate—for example, disobedience of a subpoena issued by a committee—may also be punished. The House of Peers may imprison an individual for any fixed period of time, but an individual imprisoned by the House of Commons is set free upon prorogation. The punishments imposed by either House may not be challenged in any court, and the Sentient Rights Act does not apply.[